Trailers are an under-appreciated art form insofar that many times they’re seen as vehicles for showing footage, explaining films away, or showing their hand about what moviegoers can expect. Foreign, domestic, independent, big budget: I celebrate all levels of trailers and hopefully this column will satisfactorily give you a baseline of what beta wave I’m operating on, because what better way to hone your skills as a thoughtful moviegoer than by deconstructing these little pieces of advertising? Some of the best authors will tell you that writing a short story is a lot harder than writing a long one, that you have to weigh every sentence. What better medium to see how this theory plays itself out beyond that than with movie trailers?

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Since Sam Raimi and Quentin Tarantino sky-rocketed Stephen Chow’s US reputation with their effusive praise of Shaolin Soccer, you’ll probably find that the least well received picture in Chow’s ouevre has been the sci-fi family film CJ7. Personally though, I absolutely love it, and this is in spite of its sometimes woeful CG work and the occasionally confusing slapstick non-sequiturs (see also: Drag Me to Hell). Despite the director’s long standing promise of a sequel to the masterful Kung Fu Hustle, it seems the first direct follow up to be spawned from one of Chow’s pictures will be a CJ7 continuation – CJ72, if you will. Instead of being live action like the first installment, however, this one is to be all-animated.

In this episode of the /Filmcast, Dave, Devindra, Hunter, and Adam discuss the pernicious consequences of remakes, despair over the fate of their favorite actors from The Wire, and dissect as many plotholes from Death Race as they possibly can. Special guest Paul Scheer joins us from Human Giant!

Have any questions, comments, concerns, feedback, or praise? E-mail us at slashfilmcast@gmail.com. You can also call and leave a voicemail at 781-583-1993.

This Week in DVD is a column that compiles all the latest info regarding new DVD releases, sales, and exclusive deals from stores including Target, Best Buy, Circuit City, and Fry’s.

SOUTH PARK (SEASON 11) South Park has become almost run-of-the-mill in its episodic delivery of insanity these past few years, losing a little bit of that hilarious edge and non-stop creativity that made it once so very special. Even so, it remains above and beyond one of the best comedic shows on television, and there is always at least a couple great moments per episode. This includes everything from Randy incorrectly filling in the word “N_ggers” on national television to terrorists attacking our imagination in the epic three-part series Imaginationland.Blu-ray? No.Notable Extras: Mini-commentaries from series creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone.

THE WIRE (SEASON 5) Hands down, The Wire is my all-time favorite television series in existence. It’s a show that operates on a level untouched by current cinema, telling an incredibly authentic ongoing story about crime in Baltimore where every plot element is essential and every episode of every season has been mapped out beforehand. Each season brings something completely new to the table, amounting to a series that’s constantly evolving. If you haven’t started watching yet, I deeply encourage you to do so, as all five seasons are now available on DVD. Season 5 contains 10 full hour-long episodes.Blu-ray? No.Notable Extras: 6 audio commentaries, a documentary that explores the role of the media, and a retrospective look at the first 4 seasons.

PRISON BREAK (SEASON 3) I actually have not seen an episode of Prison Break in my life, so I’m not even sure if this show is popular anymore. If so and you watch it, can somebody please explain to me: how does a show about a guy breaking another guy out of prison continue its storyline beyond one season? I sure hope the answer doesn’t involve the characters constantly switching roles, hopping in and out of prison for as long as the ratings stay high. That seems like it would get old fast. Anyway, season 3 consists of 13 episodes instead of the originally planned 22 (due to the WGA strike).Blu-ray? Yes.Notable Extras: 2 featurettes (‘Orientation’, ‘Breakout Episode’), directors’ takes, behind-the-scenes with the cast, and a bonus episode from The Unit.

CJ7 Stephen Chow’s follow-up to the hilarious Kung Fu Hustle and Shaolin Soccer has been getting more much more mixed feedback than either of those films did, but the response has still been more positive than negative. In the film, Stephen Chow plays a poor father who finds a bizarre new toy for his son. Geared toward children, the movie is said to be both charming and sweet, but a little too strange and awkwardly plotted for most kids to be able to handle.Blu-ray? Yes.Notable Extras: A commentary, three making-of featurettes, a lesson on how to stand your own against the school bully, a how-to on making your own lollipop prop, a CJ7 Mission Control Game, and character profiles.

FELON The instinctive reaction to seeing a DVD with Stephen Dorff’s name on it that hasn’t received a major theatrical release is usually one of terror, but Felon isn’t the straight-to-DVD trash that he normally stars in. The film follows a family man (Dorff) who kills an intruder and afterwards finds himself forced to live his life in the violent penal system, forced to contend with the mass murdering Val Kilmer. It currently holds a 7.9 out of 10 rating on IMDB (out of over 4,000 votes).Blu-ray? Yes.Notable Extras: A making-of featurette.

SMART PEOPLE This movie should’ve been titled Obnoxious Self-Absorbed Faux-Intellectual Assholes, but I suppose the marketing people thought that was a little too long. That title isn’t necessarily a negative though, as The Squid & the Whale could’ve been called that and it would continue to remain a much better film than this miserable, unpleasant and utterly dull look at people who just aren’t that interesting to look at. The only bright spot is the smile-inducing performance by Thomas Haden Church, who ironically plays the only central character in the film who isn’t intelligent (or to phrase that more appropriately, “book smart”).Blu-ray? Yes.Notable Extras: A commentary by the writer and director, deleted scenes, a Sundance featurette, interviews, and outtakes.

THE AMERICAN MALL Pitched as a High School Musical for an older generation, MTV’s The American Mall has been revealed to be even more generic and hollow than the HSM series, and a blatant cash-in on its success. This should really come as no surprise though; when a DVD cover reads “From the executive producers of High School Musical,” you automatically know you’re in trouble.Blu-ray? No.Notable Extras: Two commentary tracks, deleted scenes, extended performances, a gag reel, a featurette, and three music videos.